Professionals appraisers can help determine value of household items

Last few days! Going out of business sale! Prices slashed! All our oriental rugs must go!

Personal property appraiser Gabrielle Goodman of Pepper Pike, Ohio, shakes her head when she hears another oriental rug business is shutting its doors. It may just be changing names and locations, and Goodman knows she may eventually be called upon to appraise those "fantastically reduced rugs."

"People buy these rugs which they think they will appreciate in value. But you really have to know what you are doing to get a rug that will significantly appreciate," said Goodman, owner of Cleveland Appraisal Consultants. "My advice is to just buy a rug you like and don't expect it to appreciate."

(Oriental rugs are woven by hand - some also now mechanically-- in India, Pakistan, Iran, Turkey, northern China and other countries in the world's "Rug Belt." Rugs can be functional or symbolic, and include prayer rugs and floor or wall coverings made from wool, silk and cotton.)

Could this old little table of Grandma's just be "old" or is it something valuable? Heartland Communications

The rugs can be somewhat of a challenge for an appraiser if for no other reason that some clients are convinced at first that theirs is worth thousands. But it is vital to get an honest and accurate appraisal not just on rugs, but other items found in a household. Valuation may be needed for a house sale, divorce settlement, equitable distribution, estate probate, charitable donation or updated insurance coverage.

Most people do not follow auction sales or the ups and downs of the value of collectibles or antiques on a regular basis. And many haven't evaluated their family's possessions for years, if ever. So they are unfamiliar with current, correct values, according to Goodman, who spent her first professional appraisal years working for her mother's business, Goldstone Estate Appraisal and Liquidation in Cleveland.

The correct way to do an appraisal, according to Goodman, is to determine the value of an item "as of today." And just because it is old doesn't mean it is valuable.

"I always explain how I arrive at the valuation and if someone has any questions I am happy to go over it with them and give them further information," said Goodman. "Usually they realize at that point that grandma's blah-blah-blah isn't worth anything, although it's been in the family forever."

To be an appraiser is a profession, believes Goodman, a member of the International Society of Appraisers (ISA), the largest professional appraiser group in the country and one that demands continued education and testing every two years for certification.

"It's not just like talking to a guy at an auction about the value of an item. Those people have different motivations. And an appraiser cannot charge a client a percentage of what an item is worth. If that were the case, you would just be jacking up the price of everything. Also, the IRS will not accept an appraisal done that way," explained Goodman.

Appraisers are allowed to charge by hourly fees, flat rates or per item. If a tax deduction is taken for a non-cash charitable donation, a qualified appraisal is needed if the deduction is worth $5,000 or more.

Goodman's specialties include ceramics, decorative arts, furniture, porcelain and silver. She also performs appraisals of paintings and documents. Goodman especially enjoys appraising vintage clothing, which she says reflects history. And if a piece of clothing is in good condition, she knows it has been taken care of because fine fabrics, including silk and lace, are fragile.

Goodman will handle most anything found in a home except coins or jewelry, which she leaves to experts in those fields. The ISA recognizes more than 230 areas of specialty knowledge and expects its members to team with other experts when necessary.

The appraiser cites artwork as the most undervalued of all items she appraises for clients. Reasons for the increase in value of a painting, print or sculpture or may include: heightened popularity of an artist, gallery shows that have given the artist more exposure or recognition, current tastes and interests, or the death of an artist, signaling no more new work, according to Goodman.

"Art from the Cleveland School is always popular around (northeast Ohio), " said Goodman, who has visited about 30 prestigious art museums in the United States and Europe. "There was a group of maybe eight to 12 artists in particular working here in the 1930s and 1940s, and some associated with the founding of the Cleveland Institute of Art. Their work usually pops up at local auctions all the time and it's usually very well received."

(The Cleveland School refers not so much to a particular style, but an arts community consisting of watercolorists, ceramists, printmakers and others in northern Ohio from about 1910 to 1960. Most familiar names include painter William Sommer (think Spirit of '76) and design genius Viktor Schreckengost.

Goodman said appraisals can be done "pre-need, before someone passes away" to help heirs divide the estate if necessary, or after a death.

"It always amazes me how very petty some people can get at that point. It's such a shame. It can cause such strife," said Goodman, who has found herself in the middle of bitter divorces, acting as an unofficial family counselor or appraising items in a deceased hoarder's house wearing protective breathing mask to avoid exposure to potential toxic mold.

Goodman's first appraisal was for a combative, divorcing couple who followed her from room to room and made her feel bit uncomfortable.

"But it had to be done and I was glad to help the situation," said Goodman, who has been featured on HGTV's Endless Yard Sale television show.

In addition to performing on-site appraisals, Goodman coordinates with auction houses on behalf of clients and also maintains eCouture, an online designer consignment service. For more information about Goodman, visit www.clevelandappraisalconsultants.com. To find an ISA appraiser, visit www.isa-appraisers.org.

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This article was written by Jill Sell. Sell is a freelance writer specializing in real estate, home and garden. She can be reached at jillsell22@windstream.net.